A Leaf

"A Leaf"
Single by Paul McCartney
Released21 April 1995
Recorded23 March 1995
GenreClassical
LabelEMI Classics (CD LEAF I/7243 8 82176 2 0)
Songwriter(s)Paul McCartney
Producer(s)John Fraser
Paul McCartney singles chronology
"Transpiritual Stomp"
(1993) 		"A Leaf"
(1995) 		"Come Together"
(1995)

A Leaf is a classical piece written by Paul McCartney, with assistance from John Fraser,[1] and performed by Anya Alexeyev[2] on piano.[3] The piece is split into 7 parts.[4] It was recorded live in front of Prince Charles as part of the "An Evening with Paul McCartney & Friends" concert, on 23 March 1995 at Royal College of Music, and it was debuted on US radio as part of a radio special titled Classical McCartney.[2]

An orchestral version, performed by the London Symphony Orchestra, appears on McCartney's 1999 album Working Classical.[5] Another orchestral version was recorded on 23 July 1996, at AIR Studios, in London, but remains unreleased.[6]

An original arrangement for piano duet of A Leaf is part of the album British Music for Piano Four Hands.[7][8] Commissioned by XXI-21 Productions Inc., this album was recorded in 2009 by Duo Caron, on Fazioli piano, at the Bon-Pasteur Chapel in Montreal, Canada.[9]

Track listing

  1. "Andante Semplice" – 1:12
  2. "Poco Piu Mosso" – 1:19
  3. "Allegro Ritmico" – 1:51
  4. "Andante" – 2:04
  5. "Allegro Ma Non Tanto" – 1:15
  6. "Moderato" – 1:18
  7. "Andante Semplice (II)" – 0:54

References

  1. ^ Everett, Walter (1999). The Beatles As Musicians:Revolver Through the Anthology. Oxford University Press. p. 283. ISBN 9780199880935.
  2. ^ a b Borzillo, Carrie (30 September 1995). "Classical, Motown Specials On Tap – McCartney Shows His Non-Rock Roots With 'Leaf'". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. p. 94.
  3. ^ Everett, Walter (1999). The Beatles as Musicians: Revolver Through the Anthology. Oxford University Press. p. 368. ISBN 9780199880935.
  4. ^ Hinson, Maurice (2000). Guide to the Pianist's Repertoire (3rd ed.). Bloomington [Ind.]: Indiana University Press. p. 508. ISBN 9780253109088.
  5. ^ Calkin, Graham. "Working Classical". Jpgr.co.uk. Retrieved 25 February 2013.
  6. ^ "The McCartney Recording Sessions - 1996". Archived from the original on 2013-12-26. Retrieved 28 June 2013.
  7. ^ "Duo Caron - British Music For Piano Four Hands". Discogs. Retrieved January 10, 2013. CD entry in Discogs
  8. ^ Laverdière, Michel (2009). Duo Caron : trésors perdus et retrouvés...British Music for Piano four Hands (Article). "Beatles Québec magazine, Volume 15 no 1" (PDF) (in French). p. 12. Retrieved July 16, 2021.{cite web}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  9. ^ "Société Métropolitaine du Disque / Espace 21". Martin Duchesne. Retrieved January 23, 2010.